WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 -- Two University of Rochester scientists involved in photonics research were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Robert L. McCrory, director of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and professor of physics and professor of mechanical engineering, and Duncan T. Moore, co-founder of the University’s Center for Optical Manufacturing and a professor of optical engineering and of biomedical engineering, will be among 308 new fellows to be honored for their contributions to science at the 2005 AAAS annual meeting, to be held Feb. 19 in Washington. McCrory is being honored for his contributions to laser-produced plasma science and leadership in advancing toward inertial fusion. He has led the university's effort to become the world's leading laboratory to investigate direct-drive laser fusion, where laser beams compress a small target. The university's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is home to the world's most powerful laser for fusion research, Omega, which scientists from around the world utilize in their quest to develop nuclear fusion as a reliable energy source. Under McCrory's leadership, the laboratory has discovered new methods for using and controlling laser beams in fusion experiments.
Moore was honored for his distinguished contributions to modern optics, including design work on the Hubble Space Telescope and graded refractive index lenses, and for his leadership in US science and technology policy. He is recognized internationally for his research in lens design, especially gradient-index (GRIN) lenses, in which the index of refraction varies, allowing light to travel in curved paths. In the past decade, Moore has helped modernize lens design and manufacturing by using computers to design lenses more quickly and precisely. This research, along with similar work at Eastman Kodak Company, formed the basis for the Center for Optics Manufacturing, created in 1989 as a joint effort by universities, the optics industry and the US Department of Defense to enable optics companies to become more competitive.
Moore was formerly associate director for technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he advised President Bill Clinton on US technology policy, including the next-generation Internet, Clean Car Initiative, new construction materials and NASA. Moore was also president and CEO of the Infotonics Technology Center Inc., an industry, academia and government partnership to foster cutting-edge research in upstate New York. He also served as dean of engineering and applied sciences at the University of Rochester and as president of the Optical Society of America. In 1998, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He is also founder and former president of Gradient Lens Corp., a Rochester manufacturer of the Hawkeye boroscope.
For more information, visit: www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/1101fellows.shtml